


pandora's box

by crownsandbirds



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Serial Killers, I'll add more people later, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Minor Character Death, Non-Graphic Violence, Past Character Death, Serial Killers, Sexual Violence, asanoya is married, daisuga is married, man there are so many warnings wtf, my fault for doing a work based on a thriller movie, that's all i can say about pairings for now, there's a lot of blood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-05 07:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11573607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crownsandbirds/pseuds/crownsandbirds
Summary: Sugawara Koushi has just moved in to a new house with his husband. He wants peace and quiet and somewhere he can build a home. He's not ready to face a retiring, exhausted partner, a case no one can seem to figure out, and a serial killer that's probably been toying with him before he even thought about getting this new job.Oikawa Tooru is an obsessive planner. And he's had years to plan everything.





	1. only so far punished

**Author's Note:**

> "Midway upon the journey of our life, I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost.” 
> 
> (Dante Alighieri)

Sugawara Koushi is not a naturally optimistic person. 

He isn't, not really. Deep down, beneath his soft brown eyes and the purple palettes underneath them and his ethereal silver locks of hair, he's picky, he's pessimistic, he's extremely petty, and he will always think everything will spiral down into a beautiful, Magritte-like, random maze of disasters and tragedy. Because that's how life usually works. An absurd amount of  _ bad _ with one or two loopings of  _ good _ per month and, if you're lucky, a few moments of  _ wonderful  _ that you can keep in your heart until you die. After getting married to the best man in the world, and building a safe, stable home with him, he thinks he doesn't have the right to assume the universe will give him any more  _ wonderful _ . So he sticks to grasping the  _ good _ in the middle of the  _ bad _ and in living every day with three cups of coffee too many. 

But his job. His fucking  _ job _ . 

He lost count of how many times he washed his hands frantically in the sink of the bathroom he shares with Daichi, trying to get someone else's thick, warm blood out of his skin. Sometimes he feels like Lady Macbeth.  _ Out, damned spot! _ and stuff. Except he's usually trying to arrest the murderers, and not cover up the killing of an elder king after receiving a prophecy from three sorcerers. It always ends up with blood and corpses and tears and funerals, anyway, so he figures the only main difference between him and the serial killers he chases after so desperately is that his job is to clean up the mess they make, and their job is to make messes. 

He  _ needs _ to be optimistic. There aren't bright sides to being a criminal detective, not really. The rare reunion between a mother and her missed child, the rare relief of saving someone before they turn into another victim, the rare feeling of being able to put a gun down without having to shoot anyone. He needs to hold onto those small bright sides with all he has, otherwise he might just go fucking insane, and he already deals with far too much homicidal insanity in his day-to-day life. 

He tries his best, he swears he does. He gets up early enough to never be late, he treats his coworkers as well as possible, he always kisses Daichi goodbye, he wears comfortable clothes and keeps his notes organized and color-coded and tries to work in places where there are large windows that allow him to see the sun and feel some warmth in the middle of the coldness that dead bodies emit.

_ This _ , though, is proving to be far too much. 

As he struggles to put on his tie and hold his burning-hot mug of coffee at the same time, sleepy enough to feel disoriented and slow, looking around the kitchen for the car keys, he thinks he might just send it all to the seven circles of hell and admit to the world how much he hates the way life  _ picks _ at him as if it were a older boy with anger issues bullying the younger kids that have no way of fighting back. 

Daichi is still sleeping, the little fucker, because it's only too fair that he gets to sleep in after being the one that started the fight that kept them both awake until two in the morning. 

If life gives you lemons, throw them back at life's stupid face. 

It's been three days since the recently married couple moved into this smaller town, looking for a bit more peace and quiet and somewhere they can build a new life without the old strands pulling them back. They'd decided to move in on a Friday night, so they could have the weekend to settle in properly, no rush, so Koushi could figure out the quickest way to drive to his new workplace and Daichi could meet the neighbors and call to introduce himself to his new coworkers at the local school. It was a nice weekend, just enjoying each other and their house and the town that might just become a home for them. 

Then it was Sunday night and Koushi had planned on sleeping early to wake up in the best mood possible for his first day, and they fought over something stupid like the kitchen sink or the cupboards, something ridiculous like that, and that dragged until two in the morning. Now Koushi needs to be pleasant and impressive, as the youngest and newest criminal detective in the local police department, while he is running on less than five hours of sleep. 

He'll be fine. Probably. He looks good enough to keep attention away from the bags under his eyes, and he knows how to sugarcoat his voice to hide how fucking  _ irritated _ he is at the awful start of this day. 

When he arrives and is guided towards the office of his superior, he realizes he's definitely fine. Because the older detective looks so exhausted. Koushi wants to wrap a blanket around him and drive him home and make him sleep in until he doesn't look like he's a second away from passing out. 

"Um, good morning!" Koushi starts, almost hesitantly, trying to hide his nervousness with a bright grin. The office is kind of small, but strangely cozy. It's well organized, with stacks of paper neatly piled, a coffee machine on a little table at the corner, a very comfortable couch with nice pillows. It probably also helps that the detective that works in it has the softest eyes and the kindest voice Koushi has ever seen and heard in his life. It suddenly makes sense that he looks so tired. Being a criminal detective must pierce right through the core of his probably very gentle heart. 

"Hey, there. Are you the new guy?" the man asks, and sighs. He has two empty plastic cups of coffee in front of him and has been glancing with longing at the coffee machine ever since Koushi arrived. 

"Yes, I'm Sugawara Koushi. I just moved in, three days ago." he says with a little bow. "Do you mind if I make myself some coffee? I didn't get much sleep." 

Read this as:  _ We both really fucking need coffee. Please let me make some.  _

"Oh, please, make yourself at home." the older detective gestures towards the small coffee machine. "This will probably become your own office in a week or so, might as well get used to it. My name's Azumane Asahi, but, please, just call me Asahi." 

Koushi frowns as he fiddles with the machine. "What do you mean, this will probably become my office?"

"Didn't Kiyoko tell you? I'm retiring. In about seven days. So, yeah."

That explains the lack of a name tag on the glass door outside - that must've already been taken away. Koushi sits on the chair on the opposite side of the desk and hands Asahi his third cup of caffeine. His eyes bid him a silent but heartfelt  _ thanks _ . "Why are you retiring? You're probably not much older than myself."

Asahi takes a sip, twists what seems like a wedding ring around his finger. "It's tiring, the job. I don't draw much pleasure from it. I've been offered a calmer job, somewhere else, that'll allow me to spend more time with my husband and kids."

"Husband?" Koushi asks, too quickly to realize that it probably sounded a bit horrified. Asahi frowns.

"Yes. Any problems with it?"

"No, no, none at all." the young detective raises his left hand, shows the other his own wedding ring - it still makes him swell with pride, even after almost a year, the thin golden band around his skin. "I have a husband, too. I was just… pleasantly surprised, that's all."

Asahi's shoulders seem to relax a bit more. "My husband is very energetic, and has always demanded more attention than I had the time to give, and with the kids now… I feel like I'm missing out. And being a detective isn't exciting or enjoyable. It was an easy decision."

"Why did you become a detective, then? Sorry if it sounds rude."

"It's okay. I liked the job, before. It was nice, making some actual, practical justice. But it's been more than a decade and I've seen far more corpses than anyone should have to see. It's not fun anymore, losing so many cases." Asahi explains, patiently.

"But I heard you were one of the best detectives in the region." 

"Yeah, I have that reputation." he laughs, and his laughter is as soft as his eyes. "Still. One unsolved case is already one too many. The number I haven't been able to close over the years is starting to haunt me. I have a life, and I don't want to spend it looking at dead people and trying to find the people who killed them."

A sharp little knock at the door startles them both. "Well, you still have seven days here, and there's still work to do."

Shimizu Kiyoko is so beautiful and smart it's literally terrifying. She's probably the best boss any company or department could have, simply because no one has enough neurons to compete or defy her. Koushi bets that her existence is enough to keep a lot of work disagreements from happening. He straightens his back immediately at the sight of her. 

Asahi sighs deeply, and downs the rest of his coffee. "What do you mean? New case?"

She walks towards them and carefully places a file on the desk. "Yes. Hard enough that I'll trust it to you alone, Asahi."

The detective looks so  _ tired _ . "There's no way I can solve this in one week, Kiyoko." 

"Yes, you can. I've seen you do it before." her voice is firm, and leaves no room for questions. "I'm not giving it to another person and risking it not being solved. So, it's in your hands." 

"I only wanted a nice, quiet last week, what's wrong with you all?" Asahi mumbles, and Kiyoko gives him a fond little smile.

"Just take the case. And take Sugawara with you. Since he'll replace you, he might learn some stuff from you before you leave altogether." her blue eyes are sharp and dig right into Koushi's soul. He feels deeply analyzed.

"What happened?" he asks, almost eager to get into action. 

She looks pleased with his enthusiasm. "Apparently, the victim was forced to eat until their stomach ruptured. I'll spare you the details for now. They're far too heavy to listen to before lunch break." 

-

Oikawa Tooru has always been an obsessive planner. 

He plans everything, from the way he'll spend his money through the month (it's always much more than he knows what to do with) to how he'll hang his favorite framed photographs on the walls. He would color-code and highlight the priorities of his entire life if he could. He makes lists and sticks post-its on the fridge and has a huge calendar to write down all the important dates. He sets up alarms on his phone and in his wristwatch.

Never a second too late, never a day too late. It helps him put some sense into his frenzy mind, find some pattern in the randomness of daily life. It's terribly useful, too.

It  _ is _ strange, that kind of obsession. It's also what kept him from getting caught at the twenty-five heists he planned and carried out through his 24 years of life. That and his ability to pick the very best people to work with and forcefully draw out their biggest strengths in the most perfect, effective way possible. 

It's still strange, though. 

"'Kawa, this is a lot. Like, a  _ lot _ ." Hanamaki complains with him on the phone, a background sound of paper being handled. It's two in the morning and Oikawa is far from sleepy, and satisfied as all hell. He feels like Satan, like he has a burning crown on top of his perfect brown hair. "I can't get you all this stuff. It'll draw attention."

"Don't worry, Makki~" he coos at his friend; if they were face to face, he'd be stroking the other's pinkish hair. "I already-"

"I know, I know, you already planned everything." Hanamaki recites with an annoyed voice. "Still, how am I supposed to do it? Even if I ask each one of the boys to buy a thing, it'll draw too much attention." 

Oikawa feels a grin cut open his face. "Do it  _ slowly _ , baby."

Hanamaki sighs, and it sounds like static on the call. "I hate this uncanny ability of yours of being able to make everything sound sexual."

Oikawa can't hold back a soft laugh. Bitter, cold and soft. " _ Slowly _ . One thing at a time. We have exactly 28 days. Split the list between the boys, and each of you will slowly get me what I need. Don't worry about the money, okay?"

"Yeah, we know." they have done this enough times before for everyone to know that Oikawa handles the money, always, since he's such a goddamn tyrant when it comes to spending. "Any preferences about who should deal with each one of the lists?"

"I'm still thinking about the others, but send the first one to Tsukki, 'kay?" 

"Sure thing, boss." a pause. "You know, this is probably your best work so far. There's not a single flaw."

"I've had a lot of time to come up with it."


	2. Monday: swallow the world whole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima Kei couldn't care less about the fact that one of the people who rented the apartments in his building was forced to eat until their stomach ruptured and killed them from an internal bleeding. Koushi saw him looking far more disturbed because of how badly tangled the aux cord of his headphones was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “All hope abandon, ye who enter here.”
> 
> (Dante Alighieri)
> 
> do i need to warn you guys about how gross this gets? nothing explicit, but it gets a bit gross. watch out.

The look on the landlord's face is so ultimately bored Koushi is starting to believe that he must have seen a considerable number of corpses in his lifetime, or at least enough to not be fazed by the nauseating smell of death, the small army of cops filling up the place and the amount of questions he's been asked in the last two hours. 

No, scratch that. Apparently, Tsukishima Kei couldn't care less about the fact that one of the people who rented the apartments in his building was forced to eat until their stomach ruptured and killed them from an internal bleeding. Koushi saw him looking far more disturbed because of how badly tangled the aux cord of his headphones was. But he does seem very much irritated by how many interviews with different cops he's had to answer. 

"For how long has he lived here?" Koushi tries to ask as politely as possible, which ends up being of no help at all, since Tsukishima frowns even harder. 

"Five years. Or so." he answers as he continues to untangle his aux cord. Koushi is starting to feel like he has to ask everything he needs before Tsukishima is done with his untangling, like it's some strange kind of countdown before the blonde bored landlord puts on his headphones and starts to ignore everything else even more than he already is. 

"Can't you tell me precisely when he arrived?"

Tsukishima's eyes suddenly turn even colder than before, as if the detective just asked him the most outrageous, insulting question in the world. "No. Not really. I don't keep track of every drunkard around here. I have more useful things to do."

Koushi frowns. "Drunkard?"

A freckled man, with a far kinder face, shows up with a sleeping little girl in his arms. "Not a drunkard, although he did have his…issues, the poor man.” he carefully places the child in Tsukishima's arms and self-consciously threads his fingers through his own hair. "If you don't mind, detective, Tsukki can watch our daughter and I can answer your questions. I take care of the data concerning the tenants in our building, so I would probably be more useful than him anyway."

Koushi smiles, feeling far more relaxed now at the prospect of not having to deal with Tsukishima anymore. "That could work, yes." he leans forward to take a peek at the sleeping girl. She's probably around 4 or 5 years old, and it cuts right through Koushi's soft spot for kids. "Your daughter, you say? She's very beautiful." 

The freckled man (Yamaguchi, Koushi remembers now, Tsukishima’s fiancé, according to Asahi) smiles too, reaching out to tuck a lock of the girl’s hair back into place behind her ear. “You're very kind. It’s a shame you didn’t get to meet her - she’s very energetic too.” 

Koushi turns to Tsukishima, suddenly worried about the tiny human in his arms. “Shouldn’t you take her somewhere more private?” he offers. “It’s not good for her to be in a place like this, with what happened, and all. What if she wakes up?”

“No, not happening.” Asahi’s voice comes out of nowhere, firm and demanding, completely unlike the soft tone Koushi listened to for the first time in the office back at the police department. The older detective is calmly coming down the wooden stairs, with a hard look on his face and his fourth cup of coffee of the day in his hand. His long hair is pulled back in a loose bun, which means he’s thoroughly focused. 

Tsukishima can’t hide the displeasure he feels on seeing him, not with the way the corner of his mouth instinctively twitches with nothing but the sound of the man's voice. He’s never been able to disguise how much he dislikes some people.

“But, Asahi-“ Koushi tries to reason with him, but Asahi just shakes his head and sips at his coffee. 

“I know Ai-chan. She could probably sleep through a hurricane; she has certainly slept through worse than this. She won’t wake up.” he turns his face to directly glance at the tall, blond landlord. “And I still have questions for her father. If you don’t mind, Mr. Tsukishima?"

Said man curls his upper lip in distaste before smiling venomously. “Why, certainly. I’d _love_ to be of help. Please, make yourself at home, detective.” he gestures with one hand towards the kitchen and lets Asahi walk in before following him and locking the door behind himself.

Yamaguchi lets out a nervous laugh. “Forgive Tsukki, he’s not very…sociable.”

Koushi has far too many questions, and they’re all burning on the tip of his tongue, but he settles for a gentle smile. “Don't worry, I probably wouldn’t be either if someone entered my house and bothered my daughter and started making interrogations.” 

The kind man seems to relax a bit as he leaves to another room, probably to search the documents he offered Koushi. “I get you want to see the tenants’ registrations?” he calls from what the detective assumes is the house's office.

'“Yes, that would be great, thanks!” 

Yamaguchi comes back moments later carrying a few files, and places them in the kitchen table between himself and Koushi. “We don’t really dig into everyone’s lives, but we like to check at least some basic information.” he explains as he gets a chair for himself and sits down. “Especially after Aiko, we like to know who are the people that will be renting our apartments, just to try and avoid things like… well, things like what happened.” he looks through the files before picking up one and opening it. "We don’t live here, the three of us, but we like to pay as much attention as possible. I feel almost guilty, in a way, like I could’ve prevented it somehow.” 

Koushi shakes his head. “Please, don’t. The only person to blame is the killer who carried out this whole thing. Now, your fiancé mentioned something about drinking?”

“Like I said, he didn’t drink, not exactly. But-“ he seems to find what he was looking for, because he turns the file so Koushi can read it too. “Here. He did arrive around five years ago. October of 2012. See?”

The page contains, like Yamaguchi explained, basic data. Name, age, financial informations, details of the renting contract. “No job?”

“Not really. He had a job when we signed the contract with him, but he lost that a few months later. He was frequently late on paying the rent. That’s why Tsukki didn’t like him much. But he was no troublemaker, to be honest. If what the neighbors said is anything to go by, he almost never left the apartment.”

The information matches; the neighbors were interrogated and said the exact same thing. The dead man rarely went out, didn’t make a fuss. But- “This will sound strange, but some of his neighbors mentioned he was known for… well, for eating a lot? Do you know anything about that?” 

Another nervous little laugh. “In fact, yeah. Okay, so. You’ve met my fiancé. He’s not very patient with people he deems…incompetent, and he disliked that poor man from day one. So, when we heard he had been fired, Tsukki immediately wanted to know what exactly had happened. And he found out that he worked as a waiter in a fancy restaurant, but had been kicked out for eating a lot of the food the clients ordered. So there’s that."

-

Tsukishima turns to him the second the door is closed behind them, a very displeased look on his face. “What do you want, Asahi?”

The older detective lets himself fall into one of the two couches, downing what’s left of his coffee before crossing his arms in front of his chest. “You haven’t changed a scratch, Tsukishima. If anything, Ai-chan seems to have softened both you and Yamaguchi a bit, thank God. You terrified the new guy back there.”

The blond man scoffs as he carefully lays down his daughter on the other couch. “He has no experience. He doesn’t know which questions to ask.”

“Can you blame him for not knowing you and your fiancé were involved in more than twenty heists? His questions would be far different then.” 

Tsukishima doesn’t even flinch. “You can’t prove that now, as much as you couldn’t back then. Besides, we don’t do that anymore. We’re over thirty years old now, we have a daughter to raise.”

“Really? Because this whole thing reminds me awfully of a certain someone you and I were terribly familiar with _back then._ ”

The other man very nearly growls. “I haven’t talked to _him_ ever since the casino incident, and you know that. We’ve always hated each other, ever since we met at high school.”

“It would’ve been nice, then, to lock you both up and make you talk about your feelings in prison.” 

“That case is closed, as you very well know. Has been closed for more than half a decade. Besides, he was a master thief before anything else, and that didn’t involve going around creatively murdering people. _Let it go_.” 

Asahi _knows_. He’s very aware of what he considers his biggest failure in all the years he’s worked as a detective. He thought he’d let it go, after around 7 years, but seeing the golden, bored eyes and listening to the snarky voice of one of the people he’d spent months chasing after brings all the bad feelings to surface. Specially when he’s practically smelling a very familiar vanilla conditioner he thought he’d never feel again after the casino incident. 

“ _He_ probably hasn’t let it go, and you know it.” 

Tsukishima sighs, scratches at his eyes behind his glasses. “Probably. I have no way of knowing. I don’t even know where he lives. None of us do anymore. He did get a nice revenge on you and your crew back then, though. He might be satisfied.” 

Yeah, Asahi remembers that too. The feeling of utter _impotence_ as he watched his work of years being dismantled by some well placed contacts and conversations and by huge amounts of cash and favors distributed to the right people. It proved out to be incredibly useful to have one of the best lawyers and one of the most powerful politicians in the country working for you. Asahi was a simple detective, fighting against far too influential people dealing with far too much money. The unluckiest ones of the gang served their time in prison for less than five years; most of them were freed with nothing but a warning. All of them got out of it with billions of yens in their pockets and completely unharmed.

Well, all but one. 

“He's not satisfied. Not considering what he lost. He lost too much.”

Tsukishima seems impatient, annoyed, irritated. He hates being interrogated, always has. Indeed, Asahi thinks, he hasn’t changed a scratch. “So _what_? How exactly would this figure as revenge? You weren’t even there at the casino when it happened, Asahi. It was in another state, for fuck’s sake. Why would he be targeting you, of all people? It was a lost bullet, a fucking accident. You sound like you’re still obsessed with him, just like you were back then. You’re mixing up two cases that have nothing to do with each other.”

Asahi knows he makes no sense. But he can’t stop feeling like, at any given moment, a sweet, sing-song voice will come up of nowhere, to haunt him again. 

“Give me the purchase receipts. Everything from the last three weeks. If I don’t find anything, I’ll leave. For now.” 

Tsukishima groans but gets up anyway, lets Asahi follow him into the office, throws a large notebook at him. 

“There.” 

There’s nothing. Of course there’s nothing. But the feeling won’t leave Asahi’s mind. 

-

Koushi is at the nearest burger place, sharing a late lunch with his partner, when Daichi shoots a text. 

_Sorry for last night! ;-;_

_How’s your first day going?_

The young detective smiles at his phone and stops chewing on the straw of his drink to text back immediately, like they’re still two high schoolers nurturing their mutual hidden fondness through thinly-veiled romantic messages. 

_don’t worry, it’s all good <3_

_first day has been busy. new case all of a sudden. pretty ugly. tell you the details when i get home._

“Is that your husband?” Asahi asks when Koushi is done with texting, his eyes soft. 

“Yes. Daichi’s very attentive.” he answers fondly. “Your husband called before we left the crime scene, didn’t he?”

“Well, yes.” Asahi laughs as he finishes eating their shared fries. “Noya hates texting. He can’t type as fast as he thinks. So he’d rather just call me. It works because I like to listen and he likes to talk.”

“You two do sound like quite the pair.” 

“We're about as different as Tsukishima and Yamaguchi.” Asahi’s smile drops a little. “What did you think of them, by the way?”

Koushi hums thoughtfully. “Yamaguchi was okay, just seemed to be somewhat anxious all the time.”

Asahi nods. “He has diagnosed anxiety, so that’s natural for him.”

“I see. Tsukishima was… something. It’s like he’s always trying to attack people before they attack them. It felt like he hated me on the spot.”

The older detective is serious now, fiddling with the collar of his shirt. “He does that. He has this ability to make people feel uncomfortable.” 

Koushi feels like it’s the right time to ask the question that has been buggering him for hours. “Do you two know each other?”

“Yes. From a previous job.” 

“So, what, is he an ex-con or something?”

Tsukishima’s cold voice sounds inside Asahi’s mind. _You’re mixing up two cases that have nothing to do with each other._

Asahi shakes his head. He needs more information before disclosing all his thoughts to Sugawara. “No, nothing like that. He was somewhat involved, but nothing too serious. We just never liked each other, that’s all. 

 _“_ And what about the case?”

“Let's stick to what we have. A man, who had been unemployed for years and almost never left his apartment, was found dead a few hours ago. He died of internal bleeding, because his stomach was ruptured after he was forced to eat non stop for over twelve hours. His throat was swollen by the continuous effort, and he had bruises on his temples that look like he was threatened with a gun. He definitely passed out at some point; then the killer kicked him, and he died. None of the neighbors saw anyone unfamiliar getting in. All the stories match.” 

The crime scene rushes back to Koushi’s head and he feels like vomiting everything he just ate. “Sadistic fucker, this killer. If you want someone dead, you put a bullet through their brain, you don’t take this many risks just to torture them.”

“Unless the act itself has some meaning.” 

-

Oikawa always plans everything so perfectly, down to every last scratch, it's almost infuriating. 

_They'll ask to see the receipts of your last purchases. Koushi is smart, but new in the job, and he's not familiar with my methods, so if he does ask, he'll probably want all documents concerning the last one or two weeks._

_Asahi is far more experienced, and he knows how I work. He'll ask for everything you bought in the last three weeks because he knows I plan everything three weeks in advance._

_That's why I need you to get everything now, a month before they find the body. 28 days, to be precise. It's not my usual modus operandi, and Asahi most likely won't consider the idea of me changing the way I work. You should be fine. Either way, I asked Mattsun to deliver some fake receipts in case he ends up with a strange gut feeling or something, since he's annoying like that._

_If we were dealing with Detective Refreshing alone, I'd tell you to be a bit nicer than usual. But since Asahi still won't be retired by then and will most likely be forced to take the case, just behave like you usually do. If you try to be sympathetic, he'll probably get suspicious, since he’s dealt with you before._

_Actually, never mind that. You can answer Koushi's questions, but it'd be better if he talked to Yamaguchi instead of you, and you took care of Asahi. That way, none of them will be suspicious. Can you make that work, big boy?_

Tsukishima scoffs as he dials Oikawa’s new phone number. 

“Done. They just left. Now, what?”

“Oohh, good job, Tsukki! Now you sit back and enjoy the little reward I dropped at your bank account. Buy something for Ai-chan with that. And maybe a new building too. Ah, the next level is up to Keiji, so stay tuned~!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for some reason, i think this might be my best multi-chaptered work so far. 
> 
> (also, to those who commented they were concerned about my well-being, um. i do have a strong tendency to dive into overworking, but i should be fine, really. thanks a lot for caring about me <3)


	3. Tuesday: the world but as the world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's all very Shakespearian, isn't it?" is the young lawyer's first comment as he calmly walks up to the crime scene, examining the second dead body of the week with a cool, far-off, almost medical gleam in his eyes, which just happen to be a pair of the prettiest blue eyes Koushi has ever seen in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "if you prick us, do we not bleed?   
> if you tickle us, do we not laugh?   
> if you poison us, do we not die?   
> and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?" 
> 
> (The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare)

Asahi's exhaustion is vaguely written in all the lines of his face as he steps off his shoes and drapes his coat on the hanger and enters the cozy living room, calling out a soft, "I'm home".

Nishinoya Yuu is no detective, far from it, but he's been in love with this man since his first year of high school, and his eyes are trained to find and pick apart all of his husband's raw and heavily guarded emotions, especially the ones that he hides behind sweet smiles and careful movements. And so he quickly leaves the children's bedroom - thanking every guardian deity above that they're finally asleep after a long afternoon of running around the house playing cops and robbers of all things - and gives Asahi no time to shield himself again.

"What happened? You look awful. Even worse than you did this morning, and that was because the kids barely slept all night." he demands, crossing his arms and planting his feet firmly on the ground. The message is clear,  _ I'm not letting this go, so don't even try. _

Asahi is tall and fierce and has the strongest presence, a presence that's had Nishinoya weak on the knees since he was first introduced to him so many years ago, but right now he just looks small and tired as he frees his long hair from the restraining tie. "Long day."

His tiny husband hums to show he's listening, goes up to him, stands on his tiptoes and threads his small fingers through his long, soft locks as he reaches up to kiss him. The way Asahi still eagerly kisses back and holds the other's waist regardless of how exhausted he is, is enough to get Nishinoya smiling against familiar lips, enough to let him know that his husband will be alright.

They part with a last peck on the lips, and while Noya is slightly less suspicious now, he's still not letting it go, especially not after the extremely vague conversation they had on the phone during Asahi's lunch break earlier that day. 

"C'mon!" he pulls Asahi by the wrist and drags him to their small kitchen. "You're going to eat, and then you're going to tell me what happened." 

Asahi sighs as he lets himself be pushed down on one of the chairs. "Do I have to?" he grumbles a little, getting up again to grab the plates and cutlery for the two of them. 

It's hard to look menacing when you're barely 5'3'' feet tall, dressed in nothing but a shirt that clearly doesn't belong to you and a pair of bright orange boxers with  _ Rolling Thunder _ written on them, and fiddling with leftovers from lunch in the microwave, but Nishinoya manages to do so beautifully. " _ Yes _ , you have to. Remember what happened when you stopped telling me what was wrong?"

They both remember alright, since it was hardly three months ago and it nearly ruined both their marriage and Asahi. So, he takes a deep breath, helps Nishinoya put their simple dinner on the table and starts talking.

“I hate this job.” he says, and his tiny husband looks at him with deep sympathy in his big brown eyes.

“I know, baby. That’s why you’re retiring. Because you don’t need to stay on a job that makes you feel awful.” it was a relief, being able to say those words calmly and not having to shout them in order to slam them into Asahi’s stubborn, self-destructive head. 

“Thank you for convincing me of that.” Asahi smiles and reaches over his dinner to grasp Nishinoya’s hand and caress his wedding ring. “I just wanted a normal last week, you know? But Kiyoko gave me what’s probably one of the strangest cases I’ve ever taken on.”

Nishinoya hums, takes a bite of his food while carefully paying attention to see if the other man is eating as well. “Tell me about it.”

“It’s too gruesome, so I’d really rather spare you the details.” Asahi is already done with half of his dinner, which makes Noya smile, pleased. 

“How gruesome?”

“Thriller-movie-stuff-gruesome.”

“Are we talking bad thriller movies or the ones from the 90's with, like, Samuel L. Jackson?”

“I’m talking  _ Silence of the Lambs  _ gruesome.”

Nishinoya makes a face at that. “Shit, I’m sorry. But that’s not why you’re feeling bad, is it?” 

Asahi startles a bit, then dissolves into a warm, even if slightly weary, smile. “How do you even know?”

“I’ve been head over heels for you since I was a first year with uncool hair. I’ve learned how you  _ function _ . Go on. Spill.”

“I think…” Asahi starts, unsure how to explain, being it more of a gut feeling than anything else. “Do you remember that case I investigated for a few years, that one with that crazy talented gang of thieves?" 

“How could I forget? You spent like a month into Overworking Asahi mode. I had to headbutt you to make you realize you were about to work yourself into a coma.” 

Asahi remembers the headbutt very clearly. "So. After the whole disaster in Vegas, they kind of disappeared from the scene. As far as I can tell, they all found jobs and invested their fortunes and became filthy rich. All we've heard about them is like, how Hanamaki is now the owner of the biggest hotel in Tokyo, and how Matsukawa walked up the stairs as if the ground below him was on fire and became a very important politician. And that's all a bit frustrating, since they were supposed to be in jail, but at least they didn't seem to be involved in anything else. But today there was this murder and I went to look at the crime scene and I suddenly bump into Tsukishima and Yamaguchi and just-"

The Nishinoya from five years ago would jump from his seat and yell to show how startled he was with that information. Present Nishinoya spent the entire evening trying to put two small hurricanes to sleep, and he doesn't want to do that again, so he just widens his eyes and stage-whispers, "The hackers? What the hell? Didn’t they work for-”

The retiring detective really doesn't want to hear the syllables that make up that beautiful, dangerous name that haunted Asahi's days for two years too many, so he interrupts smoothly. “Yes, they did, and they were really good at their job, so it was a very unpleasant surprise. And when I started to analyze everything, it reminded me so much of him. His modus operandi and the little hints and the neatness. But I searched for the usual evidence and there was nothing.”

"Nothing at all?" 

"Nothing. I don't have any physical proof, to be honest. It's just… this gut feeling."

Nishinoya looks straight at him with his huge, fiery eyes. "Then go for it. Your instincts are usually right." 

-

The young lawyer is so extremely  _ beautiful _ , it's making Koushi feel downright distressed. 

"It's all very Shakespearian, isn't it?" is his first comment as he calmly walks up to the crime scene, examining the second dead body of the week with a cool, far-off, almost  _ medical _ gleam in his eyes, which just happen to be a pair of the prettiest blue eyes Koushi has ever seen in his life. 

“The Merchant of Venice?” asks Asahi, rising up from his crouched position on the floor and stepping around a limp, bloodied arm to properly greet the other man. 

The lawyer smiles a little. It’s the kind of smile people would commit murders to see again. “Indeed. Sharp as ever, Azumane-san. It’s a pleasure to meet again.” he gives a small bow, his black curls bouncing a bit. 

“Akaashi Keiji. It’s been a while.” 

Asahi and Sugawara  _ were _ expecting a second body, no matter the amount of reassurances Kiyoko tried to give them. It showed up far too quickly, though, just a day after the first one. It makes Asahi suspicious, reminding him all too much of the Grand King's  _ modus operandi _ : quick, violent and merciless, leaving no evidences behind other than the remnants of his action (empty saves and wrecked bank accounts and very confused and terrified guards) and a very characteristic smell of fucking  _ vanilla _ , of all things. 

The second victim is a lawyer, a very successful one at that, known for being ruthless when it came to charging and reliable when it came to solving hard legal situations, and rumored to have contacts with influential judges in order to earn more money on difficult cases. It's not exactly unexpected to find him dead on his pristine white office. It is strange to find him alongside an old-fashioned weight scale with one plate occupied with what seems to be a piece of meat he sliced off of his own arm and chest and the other with a little 1lb weight.

But what really gets Asahi feeling taken aback is the sight of the steel blue eyes and the calculated movements and words of Akaashi Keiji, one of the people he thought - and hoped - he'd never see again. 

"A shame. I feel bad for the people who'll have to scrub all this blood from this carpet. A very fine carpet, too." Akaashi says, while keeping a respectful distance from the body so that the detectives and policemen can work more comfortably. "Might as well cancel my appointments for the rest of the day." 

"Were you familiar with him?" Koushi asks as he peels off his plastic gloves. 

Akaashi puts his hands behind his back and would almost look sorrowful, if his perfect deep blue suit and the careful, gorgeous line of his lips didn't make him look like a prince who just heard about the death of a subject. "He was a work colleague. Not my associate, but his experience on the field helped now and then, and he was the one that offered me a place on which to build my own office after his associate retired. He also gave me a few tips on how to handle the incident in the Bellagio, back in Las Vegas."

Koushi's ears perk up at that. "The Bellagio incident? The one seven years ago?" Akaashi nods silently, and Koushi frowns a bit. "That was my first mission as a policeman."

The young lawyer's voice is soft as he murmurs, "Was it, now? It was my first official case as a lawyer, too." 

Koushi wants to ask for more details on what he remembers to be the foggiest, most confusing legal procedure in the last decade, but Asahi's voice is firm and shuts him up. "That one was a very delicate issue." the older detective comments nonchalantly, but his shoulders tense up slightly. 

The corner of Akaashi's mouth twitches in what seems to be a half-hidden smirk. "Indeed. I was very young, and inexperienced, but, when all the cards were laid down, I do think I wrapped everything up as well as possible." 

"You worked very skillfully."  _ on getting the most dangerous gang of thieves out of their certain life sentences in prison _ . "We all did. It's a shame not everyone could be saved."

Akaashi sighs at that, deep and emotional and it's the first feeling Koushi sees him demonstrate. "That was a very hurtful loss.” he twists a thin silver band with a small diamond around his ring finger. “Inspired me to think a bit about things, in all honesty.”

Asahi scoffs. “More than you already do? You’ll end up ruling over the world if you start thinking even more.”

Because as much as the Grand King was their commander and master planner, Akaashi Keiji was their brain, with his careful wording and calm train of thought. He had been one of the reasons the gang was so hard to catch, and the main reason why they all escaped from their sentences. 

The other man laughs, clear and sweet like wind chimes. “Azumane-san, you flatter me. I did take some time to think about personal things, leave the world around me be for a while.”

“Was that when you got engaged?”

“Oh.” Akaashi smiles down at the silver ring, moves his hand so the sunlight streaming through the large windows catch at the diamond, creating rainbows all over the polished wooden floor. Koushi almost faints at the beauty of the entire scene, at the way Akaashi looks like a fairy prince strolling through the human world. “Yes, as a matter of fact."

"That's a beautiful ring." Koushi comments. 

"Thank you, detective, you're very sweet. Koutarou, my fiancé, acquired it for me, claiming it matches my eyes." the young lawyer sighs again, this time less heartfelt than the last one as he looks down at the dead man. "It's all very sad, isn't it? We like to stay inside our personal bubble made of beauty and comfort, and then something like this happens. It just shoves us back to reality. Like Shakespeare says." his voice goes so soft at this, like he's quoting it more to himself than anything.  _ “I hold the world but as the world, a stage where every man must play a part, and mine a sad one."  _

-

"Good evening, Oikawa-san." Keiji says politely on the phone as he fiddles with preparations for dinner. 

" _ Keiji, baby! How's my pretty prince doing?" _

"Right now, merely starting dinner. I called to let you know that everything went smoothly this morning. Azumane-san might be starting to get suspicious, though. "

" _ Don't worry about it, I'd expected as much. What about Detective Refreshing?" _

Akaashi searches his head for whomever Oikawa might be talking about. "I'm assuming you mean Sugawara-san. He may be starting to connect the dots, but as long as he's not aware of the existence of the connection, he probably won't make it. He's very rational about his work." 

“ _ He is, isn’t he? He’s a  _ dear. _ ”  _ the pure, raw venom in Oikawa’s words is enough to give Akaashi goosebumps, to remind him of their late night meetings in which they came up with plans to steal millions of dollars. “ _ Asahi’s suspicion will grow, especially considering whom he’ll meet up with tomorrow.” _

“Matsukawa-san, if I recall properly?”

“ _ Yep." _

"I'm looking forward to it."

" _ You're so bloodthirsty, Keiji." _ the giddy lilt that reaches the lawyer's ears makes him smile to himself, a specific kind of smile he hadn't allowed himself ever since the Bellagio incident. 

"It's just like Catullus wrote:  _ It is difficult to lay aside a confirmed passion. _ " 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's 4:30am. blame my insomniac ass.   
> so many literary references on this one, i'm such a nerd, but so is Akaashi, so it's okay.   
> also oh my god why haven't i ever considered making a character study of Akaashi, his writing potential is Huge


	4. interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa shrugs, as if it means nothing. “Yeah, I’ll go. How are the preparations for tomorrow?”  
> “All set up.”  
> “Great.” his friend’s lips stretch in a smile. “And how’s the hotel, Makki?”  
> “As always, I guess. Giving me more money than I know what to do with.”  
> “Just build another one, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pieces of life, mostly.

Koushi is starting to understand Asahi's choice to retire in order to have more time for himself and for his family. As he squirms off of his work clothes and puts on his favorite old sweatpants, Daichi is preparing dinner, and he realizes they haven't really had a night together ever since they arrived here and he received two dead bodies to his face. He pads along the corridor and goes up to his husband, wrapping his arms around him and kissing him on the cheek as a silent apology. "Sorry for not talking much last night, I was exhausted." he says, grabbing a bottle of wine from their cupboard, along with two glasses - he deserves a treat, they both do.

Daichi smiles at him, patient and understanding. "It's okay, you had a long day."

The cork pops off with a loud sound that vaguely reminisces of a gunshot, and Koushi has to consciously stop himself from wincing. "It's just - this  _ case _ . It's ridiculous, Dai. Two bodies in two days, I mean, I've never seen a killer act this fast. And we just can't seem to find a motive." he sighs, takes a sip of his average wine. "Enough about my day, though. How was yours?"

Daichi shrugs, but his eyes are warm, a soundless thanks to his husband for always being so very willing to listen about his day. "As normal as you can expect. The children are warming up to me still. One of the kids’ uncle came to talk to me, though. Takeru’s.”

The detective grabs the drink and the glasses and moves to the living room, sitting down on the couch. The whole scenario reminds him of when they were both in high school, in one of their houses, getting drunk with liquor from their parents' cabinets as soon as the grown-ups closed the door behind them. It's still slightly strange now, being able to buy their own alcohol and have their own cabinet, but the feeling of snuggling up under blankets and getting drunk together hasn't changed much. “Oh, really?” 

“Yeah." Daichi is still moving around in the kitchen, and his voice carries out through the small house in a very comforting way. After a couple of moments, he goes to the living room and nudges his husband to the side before opening his arms and letting him make himself comfortable in his lap. "Young guy, around his twenties" he continues as he takes a sip of his glass of wine. "Very beautiful, too. Probably gay, if his perfect hair was anything to go by. Came by to talk about his nephew, but we ended up chatting for a while longer.”

_ Is everyone gay in this town? Guess they weren't joking when they said gay people move in herds. We should have moved here earlier.  _ “Is he married?”

“Apparently he lost his spouse a few years ago." 

Koushi hums in answer, showing his sympathy for the young widower. He can't imagine losing Daichi, especially only a few years after their wedding. He pushes the thought away, the mere hypothesis of it sending a piercing hurt through his heart and making him snuggle closer to his husband. "He must've gotten married pretty young, then."

"They were both, like, twenty, I guess. Never got to have kids, and since his older sister works a lot, he takes care of his nephew most of the time.”

“That’s sweet of him. Children need the attention. What does he do for a living?”

Daichi frowns, trying to remember. “Huh. I never got to ask. He must be pretty well off, though, judging by his clothing.”

“He sounds nice. You should invite him for dinner sometime, we need to start making connections.”

Koushi feels Daichi's laughter, deep and familiar, as warm and loving as the rest of him. “When you say stuff like  _ we need to start making connections _ , it sounds like you’re investigating something.”

“You’re stupid." the detective rolls his eyes and elbows the other lightly. "Now, is your lame healthy dinner done? Because I bought popcorn on my way over and I want to stuff my face with sweets and binge-watch Star Wars.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

-

“Oh, hey, ‘Kawa, you’re here.”

Oikawa steps off of his shoes and drops his keys on the table before loosening his tie and walking to the kitchen. “Yep.” he wraps his arms around Hanamaki, who’s dealing with dinner preparations, and puts his chin on his shoulder. “Just dropped Takeru at his mom’s. What do we have to eat?”

“The usual. You sound weird. Did you call Akaashi?” he asks as he kindly takes Oikawa's arms off him in order to places the food in the oven and set the timer. 

“I did.” Oikawa answers cheerfully as he makes an  _ okay  _ sign with his thumb and point finger. “Everything good.”

“Huh.” Hanamaki puts down his kitchen instruments and turns around, pulling Tooru in a hug and leading him to the immense living room of the penthouse, pausing to let him grab a Coke can on the fridge and a red straw on one of the cupboards - he loves those red straws, and Issei and Hiro have taken to keep a box of those in their house. “Where did you even go this afternoon?”

Oikawa lets himself drop in one of the 5-thousand-dollars couches and opens the Coke, taking a sip and sighing in delight. “Takeru’s school.” he looks around the living room. “Where’s Mattsun?”

Makki puts a hand on his arm, quick to reassure him. After the Bellagio incident, he’s realized Oikawa gets anxious when he’s not aware of everyone’s surroundings. “Doing laundry. He’ll be back soon. Why did you go to Takeru’s school? He never gets in trouble or anything.”

A scoff. “You guys are richer than God, I won't ever understand why you don't just pay someone to do laundry and stuff in your place. I went because his teacher has notified problems with his attention span, and I wanted to talk about that. And meet him too, of course.” 

_ Oh, there it is.  _ “You mean, the guy-”

“Yes, exactly. He’s so very  _ nice _ , Makki. Super sweet and polite. Has this  _ good guy _ aura all around him. I bet whatever you want he was a team captain in high school.” Oikawa’s voice is light and nonchalant, but the uncanny brightness in his brown eyes remind Hanamaki of the glint of a knife. “He promised to pay attention in Takeru and told me to go back in three days so he can report back to me. I might as well.”

“It’s up to you, really.”  _ Why are we having this conversation like it’s something normal?  _ “It’d be good if you went.”

Oikawa shrugs, as if it means nothing. “Yeah, I’ll go. How are the preparations for tomorrow?” 

“All set up.”

“Great.” his friend’s lips stretch in a smile. Framed by the moonlight, his back to the large glass walls of the room, he looks more like a photograph, a painting, too beautiful, too cold to be entirely human. Hanamaki has the distinct feeling that, if Tooru was thrown out of the window, he would simply straighten his clothes and continue walking on thin air.

Hanamaki clears his throat, decides to bring up the subject one more time. "Have you considered? Moving back in with us?"

Oikawa sighs, rubs his eyes behind the glasses. He looks like he hasn't slept in weeks. "I have, and I really appreciate the invitation, baby, but I'm not comfortable with moving in right now. Maybe after this whole thing is over."

"We'll talk about it on Sunday, then." Hiro presses on, and lets out a relieved breath when the other nods. "I don't like the idea of you living alone. Neither does Issei. We miss you. Besides, I know you've eaten since you've been around, but… have you even slept? At all?"

Tooru thinks about cracking a joke,  _ sometimes, when I sneeze, my eyes close _ , which wouldn't be that far from the truth, but Makki looks concerned and  _ worried,  _ and it stirs something inside Tooru, the thought of someone caring about his sleep schedule and his well being, so he smiles softly in reassurance _.  _ “Not much, but I promise I'll stop by on Sunday and sleep in and let you two spoil me rotten." 

"You'd better." 

"When have I ever passed up an opportunity to be spoiled?" he taunts, and Hanamaki wants to say,  _ ever since the disaster in Vegas you have passed up not only on those, but also on food and sleep,  _ but it's the kind of thing they both know already, so he keeps his mouth shut and allows Oikawa to change the subject. "And how’s the hotel, Makki?”

“As always, I guess. Giving me more money than I know what to do with.” 

“Just build another one, then.” 

“I want to, but the legal procedures are annoying. Takes a while.”

Oikawa makes a dismissing gesture with his hand. “Call Keiji, he can help you out. He’s also about as expensive as Satan himself, so you’ll have something to pour cash on. Also, buy another one of those Swarovski dresses, that last one you showed me looked  _ stunning _ on you."

Hanamaki almost says,  _ I know, I'm getting married in one of those _ , but his eyes are drawn to the vacant spot in Oikawa's left ring finger, and the lump in his throat only allows him to laugh and say, "I'll buy you one, too, with blue crystals. They match your eyes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i randomly woke up at 5 am after falling asleep while watching Akira, and this is the final product of my insomniac mind.


	5. Wednesday: hang us in the Louvre

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The man they invited over for brunch on Wednesday morning is so beautiful it makes Koushi feel almost embarrassed and self-conscious, but it doesn't stop him from smiling and standing up to greet him with a polite handshake when he arrives at the small, but cozy cafeteria. The man's grip in his hand is firm, strong and steady, and makes it clear that he's very used to being in control of everything in his life.

The man they invited over for brunch on Wednesday morning is so beautiful it makes Koushi feel almost embarrassed and self-conscious, but it doesn't stop him from smiling and standing up to greet him with a polite handshake when he arrives at the small, but cozy cafeteria. The man's grip in his hand is firm, strong and steady, and makes it clear that he's very used to being in control of everything in his life - but the limp in his steps, not that clear but still noticeable, gets Koushi wondering just how his life had played out so far. 

"Good morning!" Koushi says with a sunny grin as he pulls out a chair for their guest and watches him sit down elegantly and mumble a soft  _ thank you.  _ All his movements are calculated, like clockwork. "I'm sorry we couldn't have you at our house, we're still getting settled. I'm Sugawara Koushi."

The guest smiles brilliantly. "I know, Daichi mentioned you a lot yesterday." he gives a chuckle, and the sweetness of the sound results in both Koushi and Daichi chuckling as well, the detective forgetting to get bothered by hearing a stranger use his husband's given name. "It's perfectly fine, thank you  _ so much _ for having me. I'm Oikawa Tooru, it's a pleasure to meet you." 

Koushi frowns slightly. "That's a familiar name, for some reason." 

"Oh, did you happen to play volleyball during high school?" the couple nods, and their guest makes a dismissive gesture. "That's probably why. I played a lot, had a good team, we went to Nationals once. You may have heard my name then." Oikawa's voice is clear, beautiful, just like the rest of him. Koushi thinks it would be best to describe him like a traditional, realistic drawing, fine-lined and thoroughly thought-out, no flaws. "So, Suga-san, Daichi told me you're a detective, is that right?"

"Indeed. I've been on the field for a few years, but I only just started in the local police department."

"Hope it's going as well as Daichi's new place at the school." Oikawa smirks, jokingly crawls up his fingers up Daichi's arm. "The kids love him already~"

"What about you? What do you do for a living?"

"I run a couple of businesses with a friend of mine, but I've taken a sabbatical year." 

"They must be pretty successful businesses..." says Koushi, eyeing Oikawa's apparently expensive leather bag and trousers.

Oikawa sighs, as if to say  _ I wasn't going to mention it, but since you're asking.  _ "They pay off well, and since I'm single now I don't spend much. So, I do have quite a bank saving." 

Koushi mouths out a scandalized  _ how can he still be single? _ to Daichi, and both him and Oikawa laugh. "You're too sweet, really. Answering your question, I've undertaken some important projects, so I haven't had much time for romance lately." as he reaches out for the menu, he asks, "Would you mind grabbing another chair for me? My knee is acting up, and I need to stretch my leg."

"Oh, sure." Daichi pulls a chair from an empty table near theirs, and Oikawa puts his leg on it, sighing out in relief. 

"Is that why you limp?" Koushi questions, and immediately feels bad for doing so, but their guest merely smiles and nods. 

"You noticed, then?" he softly presses down in his own thigh. "Yes. It was an accident back in high school, has been a bother since then. Still," Oikawa stares directly at Koushi, his brown eyes intense, analytical. "Not many people notice my limp. You're sharp, Detective." 

-

Asahi turns to Koushi with a curious look on his face as they wait to be received into the huge, intimidating office. 

"You look like you're in a better mood today, Suga." he comments, slightly amused despite their proximity to the third dead body of the week.

"Oh, I had a nice brunch with a guy Daichi met at the school. It was a delightful change of pace, being able to actually enjoy some good breakfast with good company."

"Really? Who was him? I might know him."

"I was about to ask, since he's probably super rich, and I've been wanting to know which businesses he has. His name's-"

Koushi is interrupted by a polished, proper secretary, who walks into the waiting room, coughing delicately to make his presence known before he announces, "Matsukawa-san just arrived, and he'll see you in in a few moments." 

The young detective leans in to whisper to Asahi, after the secretary leaves them alone once more, "That's a very familiar name. Wasn't he involved in a few scandals a few years ago?"

Asahi shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "Well, it didn't reach the media much, but he was part of a very powerful gang of thieves. They had a great lawyer, and plenty of contacts, so he came out unscratched from the whole thing, and richer than God. If I had to pick the scariest members of the gang, it would be that guy and his fucking boyfriend. Their leader was awful enough, but he was barely around when it came to the actual work, since his main job was planning. Those two, though..."

The voice that sounds from behind them is lazy and drawled out, a sultry tone in every word, as if the speaker could hardly be bothered to talk at all. "In fact, Asahi, I'm now engaged to Hanamaki. We've scheduled our marriage for next year. I'm gonna send you an invitation." 

Koushi turns to see a tall, dark-haired man draped in a black suit, a sleepy smirk on his lips, and has the presence of mind to take his hand when he offers it in a greeting. “Good day, you both. How can I be of help?” the man continues as he gestures them inside his office and silently orders them to sit down on the black chairs in front of his wooden desk. “You’re not here to ask questions about my ex-boss, now, are you, Asahi? Especially considering you have more…” the pause is slightly terrifying coming from him, when combined with his indifferent smile and the dark bags under his eyes, “Pressing issues.”

Asahi’s hands fist his trousers, impotent. “Not gonna deny your past, now, are you?  _ Mattsun _ ?” 

Matsukawa laughs darkly. “Man, it sure is strange hearing that nickname in your voice. No, I’m not denying it. Why would I? You don’t have evidences, the case is closed, me and Hiro moved on. I have more power and a  _ lot  _ more money than you, so it’s not like you can do anything, not any more than you could back then. Besides, I have nothing to do with this case.”

“Convince me, because I really can’t find in myself the urge to believe in you.”

“I have alibis. Check the cameras, whatever. Also, I know you were probably expecting some sort of revenge after what happened in Vegas. To be deeply honest, me and the boys were itching to take it out on someone. But the whole thing was already delicate enough as it was, and we all just wanted to move on with our lives.” Matsukawa spins in his chair, the motion making Koushi a little bit dizzy. “Besides, c’mon, Asahi, think a little. If boss wanted revenge, he wouldn’t take it out on random people. He always made sure his targets were very clear. There’s nothing of his modus operandi here. You’re patting around for ghosts.”

Asahi’s glare is so full of rage Koushi is starting to feel restless, so he leans forward and puts his hands in Matsukawa’s desk. “Can we ask you a few questions about what happened today?” he asks, and the politician rests his head in his hand, gesturing for him to go on.

“Are you aware that your secretary was found deceased today, at 11 in the morning, by one of the janitors?” a little nod. “Are you also aware that the woman in question was encountered with several deep slashes in her face, probably caused by a knife, and with her phone glued to her hand?” another little nod, quiet and fast. “That being said, her murder is the third this week, and it fits in a serial killer pattern.”

“I’m aware of all of that.”

“Good. Now, when was the last time you saw her?”

“Hmm, probably last night. I went home earlier, to have dinner with my fiancé, and asked for her to cancel my appointments and lock everything up.”

“Are there witnesses for that?"

The politician straightens the watch around his wrist; it’s a heavy, apparently extremely expensive accessory. The light catches on the glass, and the name _Rolex_ becomes visible. Koushi remembers finding out just how much a Rolex costs, a single one of them being about as expensive as his car. He feels alienated, almost dissociating among an atmosphere containing more power and luxury than he, with his middle class incoming, can barely wrap his head around. “Both the night guard and the janitor saw me leaving. You can also check the cameras.”

“Do you know what might have happened to her after you went home?”

“Hm, not really. It may be more useful to ask her roommate - she lived with a friend, as far as I’m aware.”

“Any violence or abuse, done by herself or to her, in her past?”

“Not that I know of.”

“And how about her relationship with her coworkers?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary, but…” Matsukawa’s sleepy eyes vaguely light up in realization, and he stretches as if to make a point. “Her coworkers didn’t like her much, I think. They complained about her… I don’t know, I guess you could call it arrogance? They said she was vain, and used to kind of bully people she deemed ugly.”

“How so?” 

“She was very concerned about her own appearance, and frequently expressed her views on how unattractive people were...inferior? Somehow?” he gives a low, dark chuckle, and Koushi is tackled by the sudden idea that that lazy, smirking man could very possibly be a murderer, and then by the realization that he would be unable to do anything at all if that turned out to be the case. “Honestly, I saw her corpse, and let me tell you, detective, she would rather die than live for the rest of her life with a scarred face like that.”

-

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, right, just. I might have a hypothesis on how our killer is picking his victims, and it's insane and thriller-movie-stuff, but hear me out, okay?"

"I've been in this line of work for long enough to be willing to hear any theories out." 

Koushi pulls out a slip of paper from his pocket, a small list of seven words, three of them crossed out. "Have you ever, by any chance, read  _ The Divine Comedy _ ?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> school started again, so updates will slow down a bit.  
> idk i'm tired this chapter should be longer but i'm Tired and i should really take a break from writing but i hate taking breaks from writing so
> 
> EDIT: okay so the last months of senior year caught up to me and. idk when i'll have the time to work on this. updates will either slow down or stop for a while. there are only 3 chapters left, but those will be the hardest, so idrk if i'll have the time to write something satisfying. this is me apologizing in advance i guess.

**Author's Note:**

> yesterday, i told myself i would take a one-week break from major writing projects. it's been less than 24 hours.  
> i'm a fucking liar.


End file.
